CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 80 IN DEEP TROUBLE AGAIN

Draven’s POV

What the hell just happened? One moment I was sitting beside Caroline, our fingers intertwined under the table, enjoying our dinner.The next moment, Ella Howard and her two friends appeared out of nowhere, destroying everything.

I was beyond pissed when Ella jumped on my lap and kissed me before I could stop her. But what really set me off was her bullshit about our "incredible passion" on my office couch during Clara’s party. Alaric was losing it inside me, furious at this threat to our mate bond.

The pain in Caroline’s eyes killed me. Everything we’d built, all that trust I’d worked so hard to get back, just went up in smoke. Worst part? I couldn’t even explain what happened because I honestly had no fucking clue. That whole night was a blank. I didn’t know if I was drunk or hungover, everything was just black.

"Caroline, wait! Let me explain!" I called out as she ran from the restaurant, tears streaming down her face.

Ella pressed herself against me, her voice deliberately loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. "Baby, let her go. I can’t wait to ride you again tonight."

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" I roared, using my Alpha command. The force of it made everyone in the restaurant freeze.

But it was too late. Caroline was already gone.

The moment the other girls ran after Caroline, Ryan, Joseph, and I leaped up, shoving these three bitches off our laps.

"Ow! Draven, why’d you do that?" Ella whined from the floor, reaching up. "Help me up, baby."

I glared down at her, my lip curling in disgust. "I told you to stay the fuck away from me," I growled, my Alpha power making my voice deadly.

Alaric wanted to rip into her, to show everyone this bitch meant nothing to us, to prove to our mate she was lying. But it was too late. Caroline was already gone, disappearing with Eleanor and the others.

I rushed to the cashier and paid our bill while Ryan and Joseph ran after the women. By the time I caught up, it was too late. They had all piled into Eleanor’s car and sped away. None of them answered our calls or responded to our mind-links.

"Man, we were already in trouble, but now they’re going to skin us alive," Ryan groaned.

"What a complete disaster," Joseph growled, his eyes flashing with anger. "I’m going to make those three pay for this. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll make sure they never play these games again."

"Caroline was just starting to trust me again," I said, my voice rough with emotion. "I want to rip that woman apart limb by limb." Alaric howled in agreement inside me.

"Let’s go to my place and wait for news from Luke and Nate," Ryan suggested. "I bet the girls have put them in the doghouse too."

At Ryan’s apartment, we received messages confirming our fears. Luke and Nate had indeed been banned from the bedroom until further notice. Their mates were refusing to sleep with them.The women had apparently advised everyone else to send us "straight to the depths of hell." Not that it mattered—I was already there, judging by the expressions on Ryan and Joseph’s faces, they were too.

Joseph remembered we needed to sign the software contract with Puma Global the next day. It would be our best chance to see Caroline and Ruby. I promised I’d call Ava and insist she accept my job offer, which would not only give Joseph more opportunities to see her but also create a more comfortable environment for Caroline if she decided to return to Thorne Enterprises.

The next morning, before heading to the office, I called Ava. She answered, likely because she didn’t recognize my number.

"Ava, this is Draven Thorne."

"You’ve got some nerve calling me after what happened," she snapped.

"Please don’t hang up," I said quickly. "This is about the job offer. It still stands, and I genuinely believe it would benefit both of us." I meant it, but I also wanted Caroline to feel supported by her friends if she ever returned.

After a moment of silence, Ava sighed. "Fine. Do I need to come in for an interview?"

"No. Just accept the offer and let me know when you can start."

"Okay, I accept. It is a great opportunity. I’ll talk to my manager about being released early. But I’m also going to talk with the girls—if they’re against it, the deal’s off."

"That’s wonderful news," I replied, genuinely pleased. I was certain her friends wouldn’t stand in the way of such a good career opportunity. "About last night with those women—"

"Don’t even try, Draven," she cut me off sharply. "Or I’ll change my mind about the job right now."

"Fair enough," I sighed in defeat. "Just text me when you can start."

For the rest of the morning, I tried repeatedly to reach Caroline. All my calls went straight to voicemail, and my messages remained unread.

At four o’clock, Ryan, Joseph and I arrived at Puma Global for the contract signing. My heart pounded with anticipation at seeing Caroline again. When she walked into the conference room, my breath caught in my throat. She looked breathtaking in a dress,the same one she’d worn when we first met. Alaric whined with longing inside me.

The meeting was mercifully brief since we had already agreed on all terms. After signing the documents, Joseph concluded the formalities, and I seized the opportunity to speak with Eleanor and Caroline about Ava, knowing business matters might break through their wall of silence.

"Eleanor, Caroline, Ava has accepted my job offer," I announced, hoping they would be pleased.

"We already know," they replied in unison, their voices icy.

"Caroline, please, can I have a moment of your time?" I asked, barely containing my desperation. "I need to explain about yesterday."

"Don’t waste your breath,Alpha Draven," Caroline spat, her green eyes flashing with hurt and anger. "Go discuss your ’wonderful night of passion’ with that insufferable daddy’s girl." She stormed out.

"Man, you’re completely screwed," Joseph muttered, and I shot him a death glare.

"We all are, you idiot," Ryan fired back. "Ruby told Eleanor to tell me that if I even think about showing up on their floor again, she’ll quit and file a harassment complaint. And my goddess won’t even acknowledge my existence."

"Welcome to my personal hell," I said without a trace of humor.

"You know what? Let’s go to my place and get drunk," Joseph declared. "They won’t listen to us today anyway."

As we left the building, heads bowed in defeat.